PROPOSALS to reroute the A39 around Camelford and revitalise the town have been welcomed by the majority of north Cornwall residents who attended the recent council exhibitions.

Around 600 people took the time to view Cornwall Council’s initial designs and talk to the project team about the plans during events at Camelford Hall and St John’s Church in Delabole.

The council’s proposals to build a new 4.5km section of the A39 to the north of Camelford aim to tackle congestion and improve air quality, as well as provide a catalyst for improving Camelford town centre and the local economy.

Cllr Geoff Brown (Lib Dem), Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, said the vast majority of those who viewed the plans were satisfied that this is the right approach.

He said: “The exhibitions generated a lot of interest and the general consensus was that the new route would mark a new start for Camelford.

“Many people raised valid issues based on their local knowledge and all these points were noted and will be considered by our design engineers as they further develop the plans. I would like to thank all those who came along to the sessions — we appreciate you taking the time to give us your views.”

If anyone was unable to make it to one of the events, they can have their say by viewing the designs and completing the survey by visiting www.cornwall.gov.uk/A39Camelford

The consultation closes on Thursday, April 16. The bypass business case is now with the Secretary of State for Transport, a meeting heard recently.

On Tuesday, February 18, the meeting of Camelford Town Council was told by Cornwall Councillor and deputy mayor, Rob Rotchell (Lib Dem), that he had been in talks with MP for North Cornwall, Scott Mann (Cons), who had informed him that the business case for the long-awaited bypass is now with the minister.

“We’ve asked if you have everything you need, to which they replied yes, and if there was anything else we can do for them,” Cllr Rotchell said. “It’s still on or before March 11 — it was confirmed today it will be on March 11 (that the council will hear about the next stage, in line with the budget). That’s for the next phase of the work so that’s half a million, give or take.”

The council expects to hear from government by March 11.

What do our readers think?

The Post asked people in Camelford for their views, hopes and concerns for the future of the town when the bypass is constructed, and the response was mixed.

Jill Williams said: “The bypass will hopefully slow traffic coming from Wadebridge to Camelford at Valley Truckle. With cars getting quieter and not abiding the speed limit, it’s hard to hear some vehicles when crossing the road to Camelot Garage — the number of times I’ve had to dodge back into my drive because of vehicles going too fast, I’ve lost count.

“Having a roundabout just down from us will make it safer as there’s quite a few older people living here. It’s not just about the town, it’s the other places along the route that would be made safer.”

Ayla Ackroyd-Johnson said: “I personally am in full support of the bypass if it gets the go-ahead and love that the plans incorporate the environment in them, especially as we have declared a climate emergency in the town.

“I have lived here for 16 years and in those years have, admittedly, avoided the town during changeover days/seasons because of the amount of traffic and air pollution. I do believe the bypass will give the town a new lease of life, albeit some are hesitant as to whether it will lower trade — I myself think it won’t change massively.

“I think people will be more willing to stop if it seems safer to walk down the roads. I know some people are worried, but with the deadline for it being 2023 that give all businesses time to establish themselves in the area and get their name out for their own personal trade.

“We have a huge range of independent local shops in the town now and it really is thriving and I can’t see that changing, especially as the local support for them has got better in the last two years. I do hope that if this happens, more businesses would be willing to open here, more people would want to move/stay here and that the town itself will become cleaner and healthier. I think that the building of the bypass will also bring business and work to local people.”

Jane Smith said: “Do visitors who are on their way to Polzeath or Wadebridge area actually stop in Camelford when they have had to queue at the end of a long journey just to drive through? With all the new houses that have been built I’d have thought shopkeepers would have a more lucrative business by targeting locals and/or people actually visiting Camelford.

“Personally I’d rather shop somewhere where tanker lorries and tractors are not thundering through, so I believe the bypass will be great for the town which has so much potential. Then, with time visitors staying elsewhere will choose to visit.”

Kate Sims said: “Following on from a previous comment about holidaymakers passing Camelford by on the new bypass, maybe they will, but once they are set up at their destination, providing we ‘sell’ Camelford properly, they will come back and explore all that Camelford will have to offer, in the same way they visit Looe or Padstow on their holidays.”

Debbie Balaam said: “There are a lot of holiday properties in and around Camelford in which guests use as a base for North Cornwall. I think these guests would be more inclined to use the local shops and cafés if there was not the traffic and pollution to contend with.”

But while some are in favour of the bypass, others have worries for the future of the town, its businesses and people:

Julie Tanner Claydon said: “I think it’s a great idea but I’m in Green Meadows and it’s pretty well the same distance from the old road, but I think because of where we are we might get more pollution here and I’m not sure what to do about it. We would never have bought a home that was as close.

“It sounds silly as it’s possibly the same distance but from the road now we are right at the top of the hill, but once it’s in the new position we will be level to it.”

Owen Brocklehurst said: “It’s going to cost the town jobs as we won’t get the holiday traffic coming through.”

Craig Blackburn said: “There is now a group called Camelford Alternative Transport Solution (CATS). The group agree the need for something and is currently working on presenting an alternative route as we feel the scheme is overzealous and is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

“There is also a Facebook page titled ‘Camelford Bypass’ and we would like to invite people to join this.”

What we know about Camelford’s air quality and the proposed bypass

• Camelford Clean Air Group was set up in 2016 by a group of residents who were keen to see an improvement to the traffic and air quality in the town. Through this group, they began to lobby Cornwall Council and local government representatives to take action against the air pollution.

• Camelford was declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) on January 4, 2017, following monitoring of air pollution levels in several locations of the A39 through the town in 2016.

• Calls for a bypass were supported by town and Cornwall councillors, residents and MP for North Cornwall.

A visit from the Secretary of State for Transport at the time, Chris Grayling, helped to kickstart plans and show just how desperate the situation had become in Camelford, with a numbers of vehicles continuously stopping, starting and flying through the A39 in the centre of town.

• On July 24, 2019, Cornwall Council’s cabinet agreed to contribute £6.5-million to support the bid for a bypass, a scheme which is to cost £42.5-million.

• The Camelford bypass scheme was the only bid from Cornwall to be put forward to the government’s Department for Transport for consideration.

• Public consultation exhibitions were held in Camelford’s Clease Hall and St John’s Church, Delabole, in January and February, 2020, presenting the current plans for the bypass to members of the public and to receive feedback.

• Cornwall Council is currently waiting for a funding decision from the Department for Transport to allow the project to continue. The decision is likely to be made between July and September this year.